Is This Goodbye?
by kate657
Summary: Nathan and Haley are all set to get married. After they both collapse at their engagement party, one thing stands in the way of their wedding. Could Haley's illness be making a comeback? Or is something wrong with Nathan? Sequel to Collide.
1. Getting Caught Up

**Is This Goodbye?**

Getting Caught Up (Chapter One) 

Nathan Scott walked into his New York apartment after a long weekend away on the road. He had been playing a game and he had missed home so much. "Nathan?" A familiar voice called from down the hall. He smiled at the sound of her voice. He walked down the hall and was surprised when he couldn't see her. Then, Haley came out of the closet and was dressed in blue jeans and a white t-shirt. He smiled. He was definitely home now. She smiled brightly and came over to him. She hugged him and he tightened his arms around her and breathed in her scent.

"I've missed you," he said into her hair. He could feel her chuckling.

"Good," she said, pulling away.

"You didn't miss me?" he asked.

"Of course I missed you. I need your opinion on wedding invitations," she said.

"That's why you missed me?" Nathan asked in disappointment. Haley smiled and cocked her head to the side.

"Well, since it is your wedding too, I thought you might want some input," she said in amusement.

"Well, I do, but I trust my fiancée to make the right choices. You're not the kind of girl to go all out," he said. She smirked as she nodded.

"That's true, but I still want a wedding," she said.

"It doesn't matter what the invitations look like to me, Haley. They could be made of cardboard and they'd be perfect," he said. Haley laughed.

"Well, I'm still a girl, Nathan, so that's unacceptable," she said, laughing. "Now I picked the church in Tree Hill where my parents were married as the location," she said.

"I still say that New York University Hospital's chapel is the perfect place," he said. Haley looked at him in disgust.

"Are you kidding me? It's been three years since I said goodbye to that hospital for good. I'm not going to get married in the place that I had leukemia treatments in," she said.

"It's also the place where our lives collided again and we reconnected," he reminded her.

"It's also the place where Peyton almost died when she and Jake were in that car accident," she reminded him. He shrugged.

"Well, if that didn't happened, we wouldn't be getting married," he pointed out. She laughed. "Now, seriously, did you miss me?" he asked, pulling her away from the invitations and into his arms again. She put arms around his neck and pulled his head down to hers. She kissed him deeply.

"Does that answer your question?" she asked, looking up at him. He nodded. "You go get unpacked and then you can tell me about the game," she said. He nodded.

TEN MINUTES LATER

Nathan walked into living room of his and Haley's apartment and saw that Haley was sitting on the couch, looking over table placements now. "Haley, you already chose that," he said.

"I know that. I'm just arranging the flowers," she said.

"Isn't that someone else's job?" he asked.

"Like who?" she asked. "I don't know. Brooke's or Peyton's," he said.

"You think I'd let Brooke design my wedding?" she repeated in shock. He laughed at her.

"No, I don't. But Peyton has good style," he said.

"Yeah, if we were planning my funeral," she said. He sat down and looked at her.

"Don't joke about things like that, Haley," he said. Haley looked at him.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because it almost happened, remember? And I don't want to even think about losing you," he said. She smiled.

"Don't worry about that, Nathan. The transplant saved my life. It gave me a clean bill of health. I'm cancer free now," she assured him.

"And you're going to stay that way," he said. She nodded.

"That goes without saying," Haley said. He started reading a sports magazine and Haley got up and went to the kitchen. The phone rang and she answered it. "Oh, hi, Deb! Yeah, Nathan and I are getting married next Sunday! It is kind of fast, I know. We just got engaged last week, but we figured, 'why wait so long?'" Haley said. He could only hear bits of the conversation. "Uh, well, I don't know. I'd have to check with him first. Oh, he's here. Hold on a minute," she said. She came into the room and folded her arms at him.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Your mother wants to throw us an engagement party," she said. He looked at her.

"Is my dad going to be there?" he asked.

"Probably. It's going to be at his house," Haley replied.

"Do you want to go?" he asked.

"To see your dad? No. But your mom is the one who's throwing the party and I haven't seen her in twelve years," she said.

"That's because I didn't want my dad to interfere with our relationship," he said.

"Yeah, I know and I'm not complaining, Nathan. I want to go to," she said. He sighed.

"Who else will be there?" he asked.

"Peyton, Jake, Brooke, Lucas, Keith, Karen, Deb and Dan. I don't know who else will be there. Oh, Lisa will be there, of course, whether they invite her or not," Haley said. Nathan nodded. Lisa had become Haley's friend while they were apart for those nine years of misery. And Nathan had become friends with her brother Anthony. Nathan nodded.

"So, when is it?" he asked. Haley smiled.

"Tomorrow," she replied.

"That's awful short notice," he said.

"Apparently, they've been planning it for a long time. So, we're going, right? I left your mom on hold," Haley said. Nathan nodded. Haley smiled and went back to the kitchen.


	2. A Blast From the Past

A Blast from the Past (Chapter Two) 

THE NEXT DAY

Nathan and Haley walked into his parents' house and right away, Nathan felt as if cold air had hit him. He saw that there were a lot of people. "They're here!" Brooke exclaimed, coming over to them. She hugged Haley and then Nathan. Lucas came up behind her and hugged Haley tightly.

"Hey, future sis-in-law," he said. Haley laughed.

"I've already been your sister-in-law," she reminded him.

"Yes, but this time I'll actually get to see you get married," Lucas joked. Haley hit him in the ribs. Lucas nodded at Nathan.

"Hey, Nate. How's life in New York?" he asked. Nathan smiled.

"It's great," he said.

"The team still doing well?" Lucas asked.

"Of course we are," Nathan said.

"How are the Celtics doing?" he asked. Lucas shrugged.

"We're doing fine," he said.

"Haley, come on. Deb and Karen asked me to come and get you once you got in the door," Brooke said, dragging Haley away.

"What about Peyton?" Haley asked on the way.

"She's already in the kitchen with them and your friend, Lisa. Oh, and Taylor too," Brooke said, talking really quickly. Nathan laughed.

"Is Dan around?" Nathan asked. Lucas nodded.

"He's sitting on the couch with Keith and their dad," Lucas replied.

"My grandfather's here?" he asked. Lucas nodded.

"Your parents went all out with this party," he said.

"You mean, my mom did," he said.

"No, your dad is the one who invited most of the people," Lucas said. Nathan sighed as he walked into the living room.

"Hey, it's the man of the hour!" Dan exclaimed.

"Not very good manners to be late to your own party," his grandfather said.

"Nice to see you too, Grandpa," he said. "Besides, it's not my party," he added. He shook his dad's hand and his grandfather's. Keith got up and gave him a slap on the shoulder.

"Congratulations, Nathan. Honestly, I'm glad you and Haley are back together and back on track," Keith said.

"Thanks, Uncle Keith," Nathan said, sitting in a chair.

"So, are you still playing pro basketball or did you give it up?" Dan asked.

"No, I'm still playing. I just got back from an away game yesterday, actually," he replied.

"And how'd you do?" his grandfather asked. _Great! They're tag-teaming me now_, he thought to himself.

"What's Haley up to now?" Keith asked.

"She actually teaches piano and gives private voice lessons," Nathan said.

"That sounds like a good job," Keith said.

"Yeah, she's terrific at it," he said, nodding in agreement.

"I thought she was a professional singer," his grandfather said.

"She used to be," Nathan said.

"And why isn't she now? Did you finally make her realize that you're more important?" Dan asked. Nathan shook his head.

"She gave that up long before I ever saw her again," he said.

"And how did you run into her again?" Dan asked. Nathan sighed. He had promised Haley that he wouldn't tell anyone about her battle with leukemia.

"When Peyton got hit by a car a few years ago. They ran into each other at the hospital," Lucas replied for him. Nathan smiled at him appreciatively. Lucas looked at him and mouthed, "It's no problem." Nathan laughed and then the world went black as he dropped his glass and it shattered to the ground. "Nathan!" Lucas asked.

Haley smiled when she saw Karen, Lisa, Deb, Peyton, and Nathan's grandmother all in the kitchen. "Look who I found!" Brooke announced. Karen turned around and smiled.

"Oh, Haley! Come here. We missed you, kiddo," she said as she hugged Haley.

"I missed you too," she said. She moved over to hug Peyton and Lisa. She shook Nathan's grandmother's hand. Haley hugged Deb and whispered in her ear. "Thank you for doing this," she said. Deb smiled. Then, Deb's expression faltered. Haley fell against her and Deb almost lost her balance as she tried to keep Haley up. "Haley?" she asked. Peyton came around and gently lifted Haley's head off of Deb's shoulder.

"She's fainted. We need to call an ambulance," Peyton said.

"Nathan, come quick! Something's wrong with Haley!" Brooke exclaimed.

At the same time they heard, Lucas scream, "Haley, get in here! It's Nathan!"


	3. Family

**Family** (Chapter Three)

It was almost three in the morning when Lucas was finally allowed in to see his brother. He walked into the hospital room and shook his head as he sat down. The whole situation felt surreal. Both Haley and Nathan had collapsed. While the doctor had a pretty good idea of why Nathan had. Exhaustion or being overworked, he said. It was a common thing among athletes, he said. If it was so common, why hadn't it ever happened to him or some of the other guys on his team? Lucas wondered. Nathan was already dressed in a hospital gown. The nurses must have been heavy weight champions to be able to get the gown on Nathan. He wasn't that much bigger than Lucas was, but he was in good shape and he was strong. He looked like he was just sleeping.

The doctor assured Lucas that Nathan's vitals were good and that he was stable. Lucas took some comfort in that, but not a lot. If Nathan was ok, why wasn't he waking up? And what was wrong with him? The doctor had said that they'd run some tests on him. A few seconds later, Brooke walked in. "How'd you get in here?" he asked. This hospital was always very strict about letting only immediate family members in.

"I told them who I was. I am your wife, after all, Lucas. I merely explained to them that you would need me at a time like this," Brooke said. Lucas nodded.

"How's Haley?" he asked. Brooke shrugged. "You didn't talk to her doctor at all or go into see her?" Lucas asked in disappointment.

"Oh, I tried, believe me. But the nurses kept saying, 'Immediate family only'," Brooke said.

"Did you explain to them that the only immediate family Haley had around is also in the hospital as a patient?" Lucas asked.

"I tried to, but they shooed me away before I could finish explaining," Brooke said.

"I should go check on her," he said.

"You need to be with Nathan right now," Brooke said.

"Nathan is going to want to know where the hell Haley is when he wakes up. And when he finds out that she collapsed too, he's going to want to know if she's alright or at least, what's going on with her," Lucas explained. Brooke smiled.

"I'm not completely brainless, Luke. We called Taylor and in the meantime, Peyton's trying to convince them that she's one of Haley's sisters," Brooke said.

"Well, I'm going to go see her," he said. He got up and walked towards Nathan. He leaned in closer and whispered in his ear. "Don't worry, Nate. I'll go find out what's going on with Hales. And I'll be right back. I'll get your mom to spend time with you," Lucas said. Lucas walked away and out of the room. He walked down the hall towards the admitting desk/nursing station.

"Can I help you?" a nurse asked.

"I'm here to see Haley James," he said. This would make it easier to get him to see her.

"And your name?" the nurse asked.

"Lucas Scott," he said.

"I'm sorry. Only immediate family is allowed to visit a patient," she said.

"I am family," he said. The nurse looked at him doubtfully. "Technically," he said. She looked at him in confusion. "See, she's my brother's fiancée," he explained.

"Then, your brother will have to come and see her," she said.

"He can't," Lucas said. The nurse scoffed.

"Well, then, this girl has a lot more problems than we thought. Her own fiancé won't come to see her when she's sick. Maybe she should reconsider marrying him," the nurse said angrily.

"No, you don't understand. He can't come see her because he collapsed too. He was brought in at the same time as her," Lucas explained. The nurse's face softened.

"Look, I feel for you, I really do, but the rules are the rules. I can't let you in to see her unless you are an immediate family member," she said. He started to say something but she cut him off.

"And her future brother-in-law doesn't count," the nurse said.

"Come on. The doctors think Nathan will wake up but they don't know when it will be. It could be a few hours, a few days or even a few minutes, but the point is that he's not awake right now. But when he does wake up, don't you think he's going to want to know how his fiancée is doing when he finds out that she collapsed?" Lucas asked, hoping that he was appealing to her.

"And I understand that, I really do, but I'm not going to lose my job over this. When your brother wakes up, he can come and see his fiancée. I'm sorry," she said before turning away. He stalked away and went back to Nathan's room where everyone seemed to have gathered.

"How's Haley?" his mom asked.

"Hell if I know," he replied angrily.

"What's wrong, Luke?" Keith asked.

"They won't let any of us see Haley because we're not her family, even though her fiancé is lying unconscious in the same hospital!" Lucas exclaimed.

"Too bad she signed those annulment papers," Dan said. Lucas glared at him.

"So not the time to push me, Dan," Lucas warned. "How is he doing?" he asked, gesturing to Nathan.

"The same. They still don't know what's wrong," Deb said.

Haley yawned before she opened her eyes. "Nathan?" she asked, reaching out to feel him but she panicked when her arm wasn't on their bed anymore. She opened her eyes and realized that she was in a hospital. _Oh, no. I'm in hell again_, she thought to herself. She looked around and was surprised to see that no one, especially, Nathan, was in the room with her.

"Nathan?" she cried out really loudly. She took the nurse call button and pushed it three times in a panic. Where was Nathan? She wondered. A few seconds later, the door opened and a nurse came running to check on her.

"Are you alright, Miss?" she asked.

"No, I'm not alright! What the heck am I doing here? And where in the hell is my fiancé?" Haley exclaimed. The nurse checked her chart.

"Apparently you collapsed at a party here in town and they rushed you to the hospital," the nurse explained. In the back of her mind, she felt an alarm go off, but she ignored it. There was something more pressing than what was wrong with her right now.

"And where's my fiancé?" she asked.

"What's his name?" she asked.

"Nathan Scott," Haley replied quickly. The nurse faltered as she bit her lip.

"What is it?" Haley asked.

"Well, your fiancé was brought in with you," she said.

"Yes, I figured that. He'd want to ride in the ambulance with me. But where is he now?" Haley asked.

"No, you don't understand. He was brought in a separate ambulance," she said. Haley's eyes widened in fear as she said, "He's a patient. He collapsed at the same party." Haley started shaking.

"What room is he in?" she demanded. She started ripping the IV out of her arm and took the breathing tube out of her nose and threw on the robe that was left at the bottom of the bed.

"Whoa, what're you doing?" the nurse asked, stopping her from taking the IV out.

"I'm going to find him," Haley said.

"Now, hold on, Miss. You collapsed and we still don't know why. Besides, you're not strong enough to go walking through the hospital," she said. Haley shook her head.

"I don't care about what's wrong with me. I just want to know if Nathan's alright, so, either you can go get me a wheelchair or you can get the hell out of my way because there's no way you're going to stop me from seeing him," Haley warned.

FIVE MINUTES LATER

Haley wheeled herself down the hall towards the admitting desk to where Nathan was being kept. He was on the same floor, but on the other side. "Can I help you, Miss?" a nurse asked.

"I'm looking for my fiancé's room," she said.

The nurse nodded as she asked, "What's his name?"

"Nathan Scott," Haley replied. The nurse nodded.

"He's right down the hall. I've got to tell you, your fiancé has a very large group of people in his room," she said. Haley nodded. So, that's where everyone had gone. They'd gone to see Nathan. Haley knew that they would never be able to see her since none of them were biologically her family. She had been to Tree Hill's hospital before around the time she had been diagnosed with leukemia. She shook her head.

"Yes, but none of them are me," she said. The nurse smiled as she nodded. Haley started wheeling down the hall and turned to the last door on the left. She was surprised to see that no one was waiting in the hall. They were probably in Nathan's room. She opened the door and wheeled in.

"Haley, you're awake," Brooke said. Haley nodded. She ignored Lucas and everyone else and started to go to Nathan's side, but Dan blocked her way.

"Do you know what happened to Nathan?" he demanded. Haley shook her head.

"Well, how could you not know?" Nathan's grandfather asked.

"Because I've kind of been unconscious," Haley explained as if the questions were ludicrous. Lucas cracked a smile. Haley's heart caught in her throat as she looked at him lying in the bed, not moving or speaking. She wheeled closer and put the brakes on the chair. She wiped her tears away and grabbed Nathan's hand. "Nathan, it's me. It's Haley. I'm here now," she said to him. She kissed his hand and brought it to her heart and held it there. She turned to look at Lucas. "What tests are they running?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said, shaking his head.

"Haley, did they find out what's wrong with you?" Peyton asked. Haley shrugged.

"You don't know?" Brooke asked. Haley nodded.

"I left before they could run tests," she replied.

"Haley!" Brooke exclaimed.

"What if there's something seriously wrong with you?" Peyton asked. Haley shrugged.

"I'm fine. I'm awake and I can talk and walk," Haley explained.

"But what if there was an underlying cause?" Lucas asked.

"Then, I'll deal with that if and when it happens. Until then, I'm staying put," Haley said.

"You're not serious. Haley, you could really be sick. People don't just faint for no reason. You've got to be worried," Lisa said.

"Of course I'm worried, but it doesn't matter right now. It's Nathan that matters right now and until I know what's wrong with him, I'm not leaving his side because it's where I belong," Haley said.

"He has his family here to be with him," Lisa argued. Haley shook her head.

"There's one thing you're forgetting," Haley pointed out. Lisa looked at her expectantly. "I am his family," she said, "And I'm not going anywhere."


	4. Trading Places

**Trading Places **(Chapter Four)

A DAY LATER

Haley smiled appreciatively at the doctor. "So, it was stress that caused him to collapse?" Haley asked. The doctor nodded.

"Is there anything that I can do? I mean, it could happen again, right?" Haley asked.

"I hope this was an isolated incident, but there is something you could do," he replied. She was lying down on her bed that was pulled next to Nathan's so it was like they had one huge bed in the room. They shared a room now.

"When will he wake up?" she asked.

"Well, he was responding while we were taking blood from him. He's probably sleeping right now. I think you know better than I do how to wake him up," the doctor said. Haley smiled as he left. She moved closer to Nathan and got under the blankets that were pulled around him. She moved his arm so it was around her shoulders and rested her head on his chest as she snuggled up against him.

AN HOUR LATER

Nathan groggily opened his eyes. He felt strange, but relaxed. He examined the area around him and realized that he was in a hospital. He wondered how he got there until he felt something in his arms. He turned to look at his left side and smiled when he saw Haley. He tightened his arm around her and kissed her forehead. He was in a hospital gown and it was very uncomfortable. Then he felt the same material on Haley. He lifted the covers and was shocked to see that she was in a hospital gown too. Did that mean she was a patient too? He looked at the other bed and saw that Haley had an IV in her arm as well as a tube in her nose. He looked at her carefully. "Haley?" he said softly. She stirred. She opened her eyes and smiled.

"Welcome back," she said stretching out and putting her hand in his.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You've been working too hard," she said. He looked at her in confusion. "You collapsed, Nathan," she explained. He looked at her in shock. "And it was because of stress. Now, either things aren't as good as they seem at work or seeing your father again has had a much bigger effect on you than you let on," she said, half-kidding. He smiled. "How are you feeling?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Weak," he replied. Haley laughed.

"That's the drugs," she said.

"So, how long have we been here?" he asked. Then Haley's weight fell on to him and her hair spilled over his face. "Haley?" he asked. There was no answer. He moved his arm to lift her head carefully, ignoring the stabbing pain. "Haley?" he asked again as he moved the hair out of her face. Her eyes were rolled up and she wasn't moving. Nathan didn't know what else to do so he screamed.

"Help!" A few seconds later, two nurses came running in.

"What's wrong, Mr. Scott?" one of them asked.

"It's not me. It's my fiancée. She just stopped talking. She's not responding and her eyes are rolled up," he said, holding Haley closer. Then the nurses came over and gently moved Haley back onto her own bed and started examining her. A nurse pushed a call button and a few seconds later, a doctor came running in.

"What is it?" she asked.

"The patient collapsed again, Dr. Stevens," a nurse said. The doctor started barking out tests and other medical jargon that Nathan didn't understand.

"Again?" Nathan repeated. Then, Lucas, his parents, Karen, Keith, Lisa, Brooke, Peyton and Jake came running in.

"Nathan, you're awake!" his father exclaimed in relief. Then, he looked in Haley's direction.

"What happened?" Lucas asked. Nathan shrugged.

"I don't know what happened! She was talking to me and smiling and then all of a sudden, she falls onto me and her eyes roll up. Now the nurses are saying that she's collapsed again," Nathan exclaimed.

"Damn," Lucas said. Lucas came over to Nathan and put a comforting hand on his shoulder while the staff worked on Haley.

"When did she collapse the first time, Lucas?" Nathan asked.

"Around the same time you did. She was brought here with you," Lucas replied.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked. Lucas shrugged.

"She refused to let them treat her," he said.

"Why?" Nathan demanded.

"She wanted to stay with you. We tried to convince her to get at least some tests run, but she was adamant about staying near you," Lucas said.

"Why didn't they just take some blood or something while she was in the room with me?" Nathan asked. Lucas shrugged.

"Haley wouldn't leave your side, Nathan. I doubt she would've let the tech or nurse anywhere near her. She wanted to make sure you were okay first," Lucas said.

"Okay, guys. She's stable now," the doctor said to the nurses. Then, she instructed them to take some blood and run a whole bunch of tests on it. She walked over to Nathan. "Your girlfriend…" she started.

"Fiancée, actually," he corrected her. The doctor nodded.

"Sorry. Your fiancée is semi-conscious. She was in danger for a while there, but we managed to stabilize her. Her eyes are back down too," she said.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked.

"I don't know yet. But we've taken some of her blood and I'm having it sent to the lab to be analyzed," the doctor said. Nathan nodded. "Now, we're going to need a medical history. Does she have any allergies?" her doctor asked.

"Penicillin," Nathan replied. The doctor nodded, signalling that she already knew that.

"She's smart. She wears her medical alert bracelet," a nurse said. Nathan smiled.

"Any previous conditions that we should know about?" her doctor asked. Nathan looked down and at the others. Lucas nodded, telling him that he should tell the doctor.

"She had leukemia three years ago," he said. The doctor lifted her head.

"She was in remission, then?" she asked. Nathan shook his head.

"No. She had a bone marrow transplant and it cured her," he said. The doctor nodded.

"Did she have any follow-up appointments to make sure that it was gone for sure?" the doctor asked. Nathan nodded.

"Two years ago. The doctor gave her a clean bill of health and then sent her home," he said.

"Who was her oncologist?" she asked.

"Dr. Barnett. He works at New York University Hospital," Nathan said. The doctor made a few notes.

"Okay. Thank you," she said. She left and now Nathan knew he was going to have to deal with all of the questions.

"Haley has leukemia?" Karen asked. She looked at Nathan.

"Had," Lucas corrected.

"How long have you known?" Karen asked. Lucas thought back.

"Since we met her again three years ago," Nathan said.

"I thought you said that she and Nathan ran into each other again when Peyton was hit by a car," Dan said, looking at Lucas.

"We did," Nathan said. Deb looked at him in confusion.

"Haley was a patient there. She was receiving treatment and we ran into her in the hallway when we went to see Peyton," Brooke explained.

"So, she wasn't there to see Peyton?" Keith asked.

"She didn't know when they first saw her. But as soon as she found out, she came to visit me," Peyton explained. Haley stirred.

"Nathan?" she called out. Nathan sat up and moved to the middle of the two beds. He reached out and grabbed Haley's hand.

"I'm right here, Hales," he said. She smiled as she opened her eyes.

"What happened?" she asked.

"You collapsed again," he said.

Haley didn't seem to hear him, because she asked, "When did all of you get here?"

"Just a few minutes ago, sweetie. How are you feeling?" Karen said, coming forward. Haley started to sit up but then was overcome with a wave of weakness.

"Oh, not good," she said as she slowly lied back down.

"The doctor took some of your blood and it's going to be analyzed. They're trying to find out why you collapsed," he said. Haley nodded.


	5. Explanations

**Explanations** (Chapter Five)

A DAY LATER

Nathan woke up and looked beside him to make sure that Haley was there. He smiled when he saw her on her side with her face to him. He turned on his own side and ran his hand through her hair. "Hey, you, wake up," he said. Haley smiled lightly.

"Are we still at the hospital?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. She groaned in annoyance.

"The doctor should be coming with news in a few minutes," he said. Haley smiled as she moved to the centre of her bed and pushed the button to make it sit up. Once she was sitting up, she put on her robe and put the covers back on with help from Nathan, who was already sitting up.

"How are you feeling? Not too stressed out, I hope," she joked. He glared at her as she laughed.

"I'm fine. I'm concerned about you," he said.

"How weird is it that we both collapsed on the same day at the same time?" she asked.

"Very weird," he said.

"Maybe I just collapsed because I sensed you were in trouble," she said, explaining that maybe there was nothing wrong with her. Nathan shook his head.

"If anything, I would've been the one to collapse because you did. You collapsed twice, Hales," he reminded her.

"So, I am the one that's sick?" she asked. He nodded.

"Don't worry about it too much. I'm sure it's just something like an iron deficiency," he said.

"That's not good, Nathan," she said.

"No, but it's better than some other possibilities," he pointed out. Then the door swung open and two doctors came into the room. Haley frowned.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. She was talking to the male doctor, not Dr. Shepard.

"It's nice to see you too, Miss James," he said. Now Nathan recognized him. It was Dr. Barnett, her oncologist from NYU Hospital.

"What's going on?" Haley asked in a panicked voice.

"I have some bad news for you," he said.

"What?" Nathan asked, holding Haley's shaking hand.

"Your platelet is really low, Miss James," he said. Haley gasped and her eyes went wide with fear.

Time stood still for Haley as she processed the full meaning of what Dr. Barnett was telling her. She had sincerely hoped that she would never have to see him ever again. There was only one other time that she had felt so scared and it was when she had first heard the word 'leukemia' in relation to herself.

(FLASHBACK)

Twenty-four year old Haley James stretched out on her bed, but winced as her muscles ached. She groggily turned the bed up to a sitting position and pulled the covers up to her waist. She threw on a t-shirt over the gown to warm herself up.

Then, the hospital room door swung open and a young male doctor walked in. He was only a few inches taller than Haley and he had on a crisp white lab coat on over navy blue scrubs. He was holding a metal clipboard that was presumably her chart. He had blonde hair and light brown eyes. Haley recognized a single emotion in them: Pity. Haley despised pity and right now, she was not too happy with this doctor. Either he had had a very bad day and he was full of self-pity or the pity was directed at Haley. He looked at her and then looked down.

_Looks like I'm the winner_, she thought. "Miss James," he said. He smiled kindly at her. Too kindly, in her opinion. She nodded at him. "Your test results came back and these results are conclusive. There is no mistake in this diagnosis…" he started.

"Just tell me," she said, holding up her hand.

"You have leukemia," he said. Haley looked at him in shock. Now, he knew she probably wasn't very healthy, but she had never expected to learn that she now had cancer.

(END OF FLASHBACK)

"What does that mean?" Nathan asked.

"It means that the leukemia is back," Haley said sadly. Nathan looked at Haley and then at the doctor. The doctor nodded at him.

"How advanced is it?" he asked.

"It's not terribly advanced. It just means that you're going to have to return to your monthly treatments, Miss James," he said.

"Can you give us a minute?" Nathan asked, probably catching the overwhelmed look on Haley's face. The doctors nodded and left the room. Nathan moved over to Haley's bed and sat directly beside her. She had started to cry. He put his left arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. She latched onto him and started sobbing.

"Not again," she cried. He kissed her head and tightened his arms around her.

"It's okay, Hales. We'll get through this," he said. Haley pulled away and shook her head.

"No. I can't go through the treatments a second time. I can't do it again. Not alone," she said.

"Hey," he said. She looked at him. He took her hands in his and brought them closer to him. "You are not alone this time, Haley. You have me. I'm your fiancé and soon, I'll be your husband. I'm not going anywhere," he said. Haley swallowed hard. "Now whatever happens, we're going to face it together, ok?" he asked. She smiled softly at him. She nodded and returned to his arms.


	6. Revelation

**Revelation **(Chapter Six)

TWO DAYS LATER

Haley and Nathan were back at home and he had just woken up. He turned around to see that Haley wasn't there. He got up and walked out of their bedroom and into the living room. He exhaled with relief when he saw that Haley was there. "Haley, what are you doing?" he asked in a yawn.

"The hospital called, Nathan," she said. He nodded.

"They've set an appointment for my first round of chemo," she told him. He nodded.

"That's good. Maybe they can get your count down and you'll be in remission," he said. Haley shook her head.

"It's next Friday through until Monday," she told him. He froze. Next Sunday was their wedding day.

"Well, then, you've got to call them back and cancel. You can't have your treatment at the hospital here and then get married in Tree Hill," he said.

"Oh, didn't you know? The appointments are non-negotiable. Even weddings are not reason enough to postpone them," she said sarcastically. Nathan shook his head.

"Well, then, we'll have to reschedule the wedding," he said. Haley turned around and glared at him.

"Oh, no, we won't. We've waited three years to have this wedding, Nathan, and I'll be damned if I let my being out of remission again get in the way," Haley said defiantly.

"Haley, you have to have the chemo," he said.

"Says who?" Haley asked leaning back in the chair she was sitting in.

"What?" he asked.

"Nathan, there are a lot of people who choose not to have treatments when they find out they have cancer again," Haley explained.

"And most of them are six feet under right now," he reminded her. Haley glared at him. He kneeled down in front of her and put his hands on her lap. "Look, Hales, I know you're upset about this. Believe me, I am too. But I think that your life is worth more than some party," he said.

"Our wedding is not a party, Nathan," she warned him.

"Ok, you're right. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. We can always reschedule the wedding or even move it up. But we can't put it before your well-being," he said.

"Maybe you can't, but I can. I'm not going to be torn down by this again, Nathan. I want to live my life with you. I don't want to live it in a hospital," she told him. He looked at her. He knew she was serious and he was equally serious.

"I'd rather marry you in the hospital than not marry you at all," he said. Now he had an idea. Haley looked at him in defeat. He got up and kissed her. "Look, I have to meet Lucas. We'll talk about this later?" he asked. Haley smiled.

"I've got a lesson," she said. He smirked as he left to go get ready.

TWO HOURS LATER

"You want to have your wedding in a hospital?" Lucas asked him in disbelief.

"You're crazy," Peyton said.

"Not just any hospital. The New York University Hospital," Nathan replied.

"You mean the hospital that Haley spent months in undergoing chemotherapy?" Lisa asked. Nathan shook his head.

"It's also the hospital where we ran into each other again. If she hadn't been there getting treatments, we wouldn't be engaged right now," Nathan said.

"Aw! That's so romantic, Nathan!" Brooke exclaimed. She clearly knew what he was thinking. The others looked at her as if she had just lost her mind. "The hospital is like their place, you guys," Brooke said. Nathan nodded uncertainly. Brooke had the right idea. He explained his plan to them and they all smiled.

"Ok, now, I get it," Lucas said.

"That really is a good idea, Nate. Don't worry, I'll call the church for Haley and tell them that the wedding is not going to be held there," Peyton said.

"And I'll spread the word about the change in plans," Brooke said. Nathan nodded, but then looked at Brooke carefully. "Don't worry! I'll make sure that it doesn't get back to Haley," she promised.

"Thanks, guys. I couldn't do this without your help. I really appreciate it," Nathan said. They walked away. _Now, I've just got to keep Haley out of the way_, he thought to himself. Which was going to be difficult since she planned the wedding.


	7. The Shocking Truth

**The Shocking Truth** (Chapter Seven)

FRIDAY (2 days before the wedding)

Nathan walked into Haley's hospital room and smiled when he saw her already dressed in her pyjamas that they had brought with them. Nathan was going to stay with her in the hospital. He promised that he would not leave her side unless the doctors or she told him to. And he meant it. He wouldn't let her go through this alone again. Nathan had called Taylor and the rest of Haley's family and had told them that Haley was out of remission again and was back in the hospital for a few days. They had all questioned him as to what they were going to do about the wedding. He told them that Brooke would call them and tell them the plans. He had to get back to Haley. "Hi," she said cheerfully. He smiled and came closer to her. He pulled a chair right up to the bed and sat in it. He rested his arms on her bed beside her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. Haley smiled.

"Nathan, we just got here. I haven't had any of the treatments yet," she said. Nathan looked at her. "I'm fine," she said. He nodded.

"Good. So, exactly, what are you going to have?" he asked.

"Chemotherapy, obviously. They're going to have to take some of my blood a couple of times a day to see if the treatment is doing anything," she started. Then she groaned as she said, "Then they're probably going to take some marrow." He looked at her in confusion.

"That doesn't seem so bad," Nathan said.

"It doesn't, does it?" Haley asked laughing. Haley grabbed his face and brought it over to her. He stood up a little and leaned over to reach her. They kissed for a minute. When the kiss ended, she smirked and said, "That's because you don't know what they do." He kissed her again quickly and then sat down.

"What do they do?" Nathan asked.

"You sure you want to know?" she asked, sitting up straight and moving a little closer to him. He nodded. "Well, they take a huge needle. I swear it's like the Titanic of needles. They take that and stick it deep into a bone in my leg and then draw the marrow out," she explained. Nathan cringed. Haley nodded. "Does it still not sound so bad to you?" she asked, laughing. He shook his head.

"When the doctor said that your platelet was low, how did you know that you were out of remission?" he asked. Haley sighed.

"Do you remember all those bruises I have?" she asked. He nodded. He assumed that it was because she was just a klutz. "Well, the doctor told me that my platelet is around 98, 000. It should be somewhere in between 150, 000 to about, uh, 450, 000. When the platelet is low, there's bleeding under the skin, hence the bruises," she explained. He nodded.

"And when you have radiation…" he started. Haley shook her head. "Radiation is used for tumours, Nathan, not leukemia patients," she said.

"So, what's involved in your chemotherapy?" he asked.

"Mostly, talking a lot of pills," she said.

"So, why do you have to be in the hospital?" he asked.

"Well, for the beginning, they want to monitor what the pills do to the white count. They might need to adjust the dosage of certain pills in case they're not doing enough. I go back every month to see if the pills have done anything," she said. He nodded.

"What pills?" he asked.

"Nathan, are you sure you want to know all this?" she asked. He nodded.

"Haley, I told you: You're not going through this alone. And I want to understand things. In order to understand, I need to know," he said. Haley nodded.

"Every morning I have to take something called 6-MP and every night, I have to take a prednisone tablet. Every morning and night on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I have to take Septra," she started.

"What is that?" he asked.

"It's a huge, pink antibiotic. Every Thursday, I have to take six, very small and extremely powerful methotrexate pills. They'll give me a stash of thorazine tablets which help if I get nauseous from the methotrexate. They might add or take other drugs away after four weeks," she explained.

"Are there any other side effects to any of them?" he asked.

"Well, yeah, actually. My mouth could break out in cankers. My joints could ache and there could be days when I won't be able to keep food down," she said. He nodded, absorbing it all.

"Have you taken any of them yet?" he asked. Haley nodded.

"Of course. I've taken 6-MP and Septra. They'll give me my prednisone pill at about eight at night," she replied. He was obviously overwhelmed but he nodded.

"Ok, all right," he said. Haley smiled. She took both his hands and entwined them with hers.

"Thank you for being so supportive, Nathan. I really appreciate it," she said. He nodded and smiled. "But…" she started. Nathan looked at her in surprise. "It's ok if you're a little freaked out right now. It's a lot to process," she said. Then, the door swung open and Taylor walked in. She smiled at Nathan and looked at Haley.

"It's that time," Taylor said, smirking. Haley looked at the clock.

"I hate this," she said, laughing.

"What?" Nathan asked.

"It's time for a bone marrow test and a few blood tests. I figure I might as well kill two birds with one stone," Taylor said, shrugging. Haley glared at her. "Look, Nate, you can hang out here or go to the waiting room. Your parents and Lucas are there," Taylor said.

"How long will you be?" Nathan asked. Haley looked up to Taylor.

"How long will I be, Tay?" Haley asked.

"Ten, maybe fifteen minutes," Taylor said. Nathan got up and walked over to Haley. He kissed her.

"I've got to go face the vulture," he said.

"You are talking about your dad, right?" she asked, looking up at him. He smiled.

"Of course," he replied.

"Tell the others I said hello," Haley said as Taylor wheeled her out. Out in the hall, Taylor stopped for a second.

"How's he handling everything?" Taylor asked. Haley nodded slowly.

"He's doing ok," she said cryptically.

"I'm glad he's here for you, Hay. Nathan loves you more than anything, so I know he won't be like some other jackasses that I've seen here and leave you while you're going through this," Taylor said.

Nathan took a deep breath as he approached the waiting room. He could see a weird look on his father's face. He was surprised to see that his grandparents were there as well. He knew they were in Tree Hill because they were staying for the wedding. "What are all of you doing here?" Nathan asked.

"We all rented hotel rooms for the next few days so we can be here for the big day," Mae, his grandmother, replied. Nathan smiled.

"Thanks. I'm sure Haley will appreciate it," he said.

"She doesn't know, does she?" Royal asked. Nathan smiled and shook his head.

"Her, uh, treatment is kind of her main concentration right now. She's not really worrying about it. I told her that I was working things out and I'd let her know," he said.

"And she just accepted that?" Dan asked. Nathan nodded.

"She trusts me," he said.

"I don't know why," Dan said. Nathan stiffened.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucas asked.

"Well, Haley wanted to have her wedding in Tree Hill in that church for some reason. Now, you've gone and changed all of her plans on her. And you relocated the wedding to a hospital chapel, no less," Dan said. Deb shook her head in annoyance.

"Dan, I told you. The hospital means something to Haley and Nathan," she said.

"What, her impending death?" he asked.

"Danny!" Mae exclaimed.

"Well, we all know what leukemia does to people. It's not like Haley's never considered the possibility that she'll die from it. Three years ago, she was ready close up shop," he said.

"Dad, stop it," Nathan said.

"Honestly, Nathan, I don't know why you're bothering with a wedding. Haley's days are numbered now. Why do you want to marry someone who will most likely be a corpse in a few months?" Dan asked.

"Look, this is the last thing I need to deal with right now, Dad. Please, just, give it a rest," he said.

"Nathan, what's wrong?" Brooke asked.

"You look a little overwhelmed," Lucas added.

"Well, I guess that's because I am," he said. He started to explain how Haley had told him all of the things that she had to go through.

"I saw what the treatments did to her last time. I'm not naïve about this like I was when I first found out that she had leukemia back then, but I had no idea that that was just one part of it," he said.

"Are you saying that you can't deal with it?" Lucas asked. His eyes were narrowed in slits and his voice was oozing with contempt.

"Of course not! I would never turn my back on Haley. I'm just saying that I don't know how she could've gone through it all alone last time. And be strong enough to go through it again," he said.

"Well, I do," Brooke said. He looked at her. "Hales is a strong person, Nate, and she's stubborn as hell. She doesn't give up easily, if she gives up at all. Which, most of the time, she doesn't. And this time around, she has a pretty amazing support system," Brooke said. Nathan looked at her in confusion.

"She has you, Dumb Ass," Lucas explained. Nathan laughed.

"Thanks," he said, smiling. Brooke and Lucas both nodded. Nathan looked at his watch. "Um, I have to get back. Taylor will be bringing her back anytime," he said. They all nodded as Nathan turned to leave. He met Taylor while she was pushing Haley's bed down the hall. Taylor smiled.

"You've got good timing. You can push this damn thing into the room," she said. He looked at her in confusion. He looked at Haley, who was lying in the bed and then back up at Taylor in shock. She was calling her sister a "damn thing". "The bed, Nathan. Not Haley," she said, laughing. He laughed once he got it and moved over to where Taylor was. He hugged her and thanked her. "No problem, Nate. She's my sister," Taylor said and turned and left. He looked down before he started to push the bed. Haley was fast asleep. They must have given her something to let her sleep. He leaned down and brushed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Welcome back, Hales," he said as he pushed the bed into the room and managed to put it back in place without crashing into anything or waking her up. He then sat down and grabbed her hand and stayed there.


	8. A Gift of Love

**A Gift of Love** (Chapter Eight)

EARLY SATURDAY MORNING

Nathan yawned. At the same time, Haley opened her eyes and smiled when she saw him. When he saw her, he smiled back in embarrassment. "How long have you been watching me?" she asked.

"All night," he admitted. Haley laughed.

"How the heck are you going to stay awake tonight?" she asked.

"I don't think I'd be able to even if I had some sleep," he said. Haley looked at him in confusion.

"Tomorrow is our wedding, Haley," he said. Haley stopped to think for a minute and then she smiled widely.

"So, you sorted everything out?" she asked.

"Not exactly," he said.

"Nathan, what did you do?" she asked. "Uh, well, I switched the location," he admitted. Haley looked at him in shock.

"You what!" she exclaimed.

"Well, you're not going to be out of the hospital tomorrow, so we can't have it at the church in Tree Hill," he started to explain. Haley looked at him warningly.

"Nathan, if you're about to tell me that we're having the wedding at your dad's house, sick or not, I'll put you in the hospital myself," she said. He laughed.

"Of course it's not at my dad's," he said.

"Then, where is it?" she demanded.

"Here," he said.

"Why the heck would you want to have it at this chapel?" she asked.

"Not the chapel, Haley," he said.

"Then where?" she asked.

"Near the admitting desk of the ER," he said. Haley looked at him in disbelief. "Before you get mad, let me explain why," he said.

"This had better be good," she said, folding her arms across her chest, which was a classic sign of Haley being angry.

"I don't have to tell you that this is the hospital where you came back into my life. And I don't have to tell you that I thank God every day for bringing me to that hospital and, yes, I realize that means I'm actually glad that one of my friends was almost killed but I can't help it. Haley, you mean everything to me and people get second chances in this hospital every day. And we got a second chance too," he said. Haley smiled, but then it faltered.

"But why in front of the ER admitting desk?" Haley asked.

"Because that's where we saw each other again," he said. Haley's smile reappeared and she motioned for him to come closer. He sat on the edge of the bed and carefully moved closer to her.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you too," he said. She held his face and brought it to her as she kissed him deeply. He moved his arms around her and pulled her closer.

SUNDAY MORNING

Haley finished getting dressed into the pale blue sundress Peyton had brought with her. "You guys knew all along, didn't you?" she asked, looking at Brooke and Peyton. Brooke had tears streaming out of her eyes.

"Yes," she blubbered. Haley laughed and handed her a tissue. "Thank you. I'm such a sucker for weddings," she said. Haley let Taylor put her IV in and when she was finished, Haley brought her IV pole to her side. She swallowed a 6-MP and cringed at the taste. She slowly drank water.

"I wonder how many brides have had to take pills to get through their wedding?" Peyton joked. Haley laughed. Peyton handed her a bouquet of flowers.

"Are you going to have to drag that thing with you while you're getting married?" Brooke asked, gesturing to the IV pole. Haley nodded. Peyton smirked.

"The pole can give you away," Taylor joked. Haley swatted her with her right hand.

Nathan smiled as he fixed his tie. "This is probably weirder than when I found out you were married the first time," Lucas said, walking over.

"Oh, come off it, Lucas. You should've seen Haley's face when I explained it to her. She was glowing," he said.

"I was just kidding," Lucas said, laughing. Nathan nodded and rolled his eyes.

"So, how are you feeling?" Dan asked as he came into this room.

"Well, I was on cloud nine until a few seconds ago," Nathan said.

"Oh, calm down, Nathan. This is your wedding day. It's supposed to be a happy day," Dan said.

"Yeah, I know," he said.

TEN MINUTES LATER

The priest had already introduced that it was the wedding between Nathan Scott and Haley James. Now it was time for them to both say their vows. Nathan took a deep breath as he looked at Haley deep in her eyes.

"I love you, Haley and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. It's not every day that you get a second chance, but I'm glad that we were given one. I will love you until my last breath and I promise to cherish you every single day that we're together whether it be for ten years or ten months," he said. Haley smiled.

"When I first found out that I was sick, I was all alone. And when they told me that I was out of remission again, I gave up. I didn't want to go through it alone anymore. But then a funny thing happened: You. You came out of nowhere and taught me to treasure life. You refused to accept my decision to just lie down and die and even though at the time, I know I wasn't very receptive, I'm so glad you did that. Because I would've missed out on the third chance that God has given both of us," she said. He looked at her in confusion.

"Nathan, this morning, my doctor came to talk to me with a big smile on his face. He told me that I was in remission again. So, I don't know exactly what your plans were, but we're in this for the long haul. I love you," she said, smiling. Nathan looked at her in shock. He didn't even wait for the priest to say the famous words. He closed the distance between them and crushed her lips with his. When the kiss ended, he looked at her and smiled.

"I love you too," he said.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride again," the priest said, smirking with amusement. Nathan smiled and leaned down and kissed Haley again.

The End


End file.
